Predicting the future would surely help me retire quickly, but in education it seems much easier simply because of the bureaucracies that hold teachers back. Basically, we are looking at the technology right now that we will see in schools in five years because it takes that long to implement any kind of change in education, sadly. I have the same frustration with the overly optimistic future worlds in movies. Can we really tear down the whole city and rebuild it with floating highways in 30 years? No. I wish, but no. Sorry, Back to the Future.

The death of email is inevitable. I barely use it already, mostly with my parents and junk mail, just like snail mail. It is old and outdated and that is fine. I am blocked at my school from gmail anyway, so our school has been using dropbox and apps for communication for awhile. Implementing the LMS will only increase that. As for wearable tech, I was just reading an article in Wired about virtual reality.

Much like Blu-ray and VHS, once the adult industry signs on the tech will take off, and the reason it hasn't taken off is that the quality is not quite there yet. That will be an additional technology that can be integrated into the classroom environment, or home, quite well (the VR, not the porn). Students could 'visit' different times and places, including places we cannot go to like the cellular level.

As for the general future of education, I really wish for open classes that are free to take world-wide that come with certificates that transfer for job-applicants. Teachers will be focusing on critical thinking skills in classrooms and much of the content will be learned online wherever the student wants whenever they want. However, the pragmatic side of my brain is well aware that the future of education will always be tied to the future of the political world in America. There are plenty of politicians trying to put their hands into education for better or worse, and that will have consequences. Having those free online classes can also create a bigger gap in education because of certain political or religious groups pulling out of the public schools and only offering the education they want for their children. Unfortunately, our designs of easy access to education anywhere can have negative consequences for society and there could be a backlash that puts children back in classrooms. No matter what, the learning will be happening via the internet in some capacity. It is really hard to say where it will go, but so far I am cautiously optimistic about education in the future. There are many schools and teachers trying new things now, certainly more than when I was in K-12, so that should bring about some good data and feedback that we can use to make new changes in the future.

What about children with learning disabilities?

Is the start-up culture and design ignoring the students that need extra assistance? I would argue that the technology being added to our world have been the most impressive on this very subject, in fact. Many of the latest advancements that we sometimes take for granted, or are even bothered by, are helping students that have learning disabilities the most. Click the button below for a look into what the education system is now and could be in the future for special education.

"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King jr.)

Woman on the Bus

A woman looks at her phone on a bus in downtown Seoul, 2015

Seoul Protest 2015

People from around 120 unions and groups organized the protests on Saturday, December 5th, that saw thousands marching through downtown Seoul. Many people carried signs that said roughly "listen to the people" as they feel the current government is not working for the people but for the Chaebol (large corporations).

Mask Dance

Thousands took to the streets to protest several government plans in Seoul on Saturday, December 5th. They were told not to wear masks because of the "threat of ISIS". The protesters responded by wearing thousands of masks, some dancing traditional samulnori along the way.

Shoulder View

Getting a better view of the traditional Korean dancing at the Bupyeong Festival, this girl sits on dad's shoulders.

Angled Emotion

A man picks up recycling in the city while a little girl pouts in the doorway behind him.

Framing the Street

Tucked into an alley in northern Seoul, graffiti hides as people walk past.

The Clown

A performer prepares to entertain children on Children's Day at Children's Grand Park in Seoul.

Yellow Dust Love

A couple gets intimate during yellow dust season in Myeongdong. "Yellow Dust" is the polluted air that drifts from the Gobi Desert, picking up coal pollution over the cities of China, to Korea.

Rock Reflection

Cape Disappointment, Washington

Launch Pad to the Universe

The Milky Way jetting up from the peaks at Colonial in the North Cascades, Washington

Watercolor Sky

The colors of sunset above Eastern Jeju Island, South Korea

The Race

Two shooting stars race across the night sky at Liberty Bell Peak, Washington

Mt. St. Helens

From Johnston Ridge

The Girl with the Mask

"Park Geun Hye resign" is written across her mask. She speaks loudly without noise in the crowd f nearly a million protesting the president of South Korea on 11/12

Monk in the Front

A million people took to the streets on 11/12 to protest the president in one of the largest protests in Korean history. Many religious leaders joined together to hold signs that read "Park Geun Hye resign"

Man with Candle

One of a million protesting the president of South Korea on 11/12, holding a candle for the vigil and marching to show his support of the president stepping down.

Helping Hands

These girls help this man light his candle as night falls over approximately a million people in the streets of downtown Seoul on 11/12.

Anti-Government DJ Spinning

A DJ spins music for the crowd of protesters on 11/12 as they march against the president of Korea.

A Family Marches

A family marches with candles during the protest on 11/12 that saw a million people spill into the streets of downtown Seoul.

Flying

Flying on the shoulders of her father, this girl had a VIP view of the million person protest against the president on 11/12

Spectacle

Overlooking the crowd in the square, a man surveys the scene. Lights, musicians, food stalls, and a million people peacefully protesting the president and chanting in waves, "Park Geun Hye resign".

Tiring Protest

A little girl yawns on her father's shoulders late into the night as they continue to march against the president.